Homeodomain transcription factors control developmental processes. They pattern body formation, specify cell lineages and switch the onset of gene regulatory cascades. Pitx2, a bicoid-related homeodomain transcription factor, is asymmetrically expressed in the left lateral plate mesoderm and mesoderm-derived tissues. Pitx2 null mice are characterized by failure of body wall closure,...
Background: Heart morphogenesis involves chamber formation followed by septation. Septation is the remodeling of the heart from a single channel peristaltic pump to a two channel pump with one-way valves. Several transcription factors have been implicated in the development of congenital cardiac defects. The paired-like homeodomain transcription factor Pitx2 has...
Congenital myopathies are caused by heritable mutations in particular genes. Genes mutated in congenital muscular dystrophies often encode cytoskeletal proteins, which contribute to the shape and movement of cells. We would like to know how such molecular defects lead to the muscle weakness in patients. It is therefore important to...